Jiangsu passes 100 GW of solar, led by distributed PV

On the rooftops of Jiangsu’s industrial parks, public buildings and rural homes, solar has reached a provincial scale. By late July 2026, the eastern Chinese province had installed 100.08 GW of photovoltaic capacity, according to State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power data reported by Xinhua News Agency. Jiangsu is the first provincial-level region in China to cross 100 GW.

The milestone was built mostly without vast solar farms. Distributed photovoltaic systems — installations located close to buildings and local users — reached 69.29 GW, nearly 70% of Jiangsu’s total. Centralized projects accounted for approximately 30.79 GW. Solar now makes up more than 38% of the province’s total power-generation capacity and is its largest single source of installed capacity.

That balance reflects Jiangsu’s geography and economy. Unlike northern provinces with more undeveloped land, Jiangsu has expanded through village-wide rooftop projects and coordinated installations across industrial parks. State Grid Jiangsu is adding distribution-network capacity and using artificial intelligence, satellite imagery and forecasting tools to assess both rooftop potential and how much new generation the grid can host.

The next stage is already mapped out. Jiangsu says around 35.99 GW of additional distributed PV connection capacity is available, while its 2026–2030 plan targets 120 GW of distributed solar by 2030 and 160 GW by 2035. Offshore solar is also being developed: the province had around 2 GW of offshore PV capacity by the end of 2025 and is advancing pilot projects that combine photovoltaics with other energy resources.

So what changes in practice? Jiangsu offers densely populated regions a way to keep adding solar where land is limited, using surfaces that already exist. But the province’s own figures also point to the harder task ahead: more solar at midday will increase pressure on grid flexibility, electricity demand and balancing resources. Storage, network upgrades and market-based electricity trading will determine how effectively that installed capacity is used.